Last game recap: – The North Stars lost to Melfort on Friday night, 4-2 the final score. The Stars got a first period goal from Reed Delainey but it was the Mustangs who pulled away with a couple of third period goals. With the score 4-1 in the third the Stars got a late power play and pulled their goalie so it was 6-on-4. Jake McMillen was able to score to get the Stars within 2 goals. There was another penalty against the Mustangs with 2 minutes left and more 6-on-4 play. McMillen had another glorious chance but was just falling as he tried to shoot. He couldn’t lift the puck up over the pad of Mustangs goalie Richard Palmer. In the end though a comeback would have hid the fact the North Stars weren’t at their best on Friday. They weren’t skating and struggled with the Mustangs forecheck. They will be looking for a big bounce back game tonight.

Storylines:

Roster Cut Down Day: Yesterday was the December 1st deadline for CJHL teams to get their rosters down under 25. The Stars were already under the limit so were not forced to make any moves. There were some big trades including the La Ronge Ice Wolves dealing their leading scorer Connor Kortko to the MJHL. The Kindersley Klippers dealt 18 year old D man Ty Lindberg to the Grande Prairie Storm of the AJHL for 20 year old forward Hayden Berra. For more on all the moves check out SJHL.ca

Playoff Rematch: The North Stars and Millionaires met in last season’s playoffs. The Mills won that SJHL semi-final series in 5 games. They were able to clog the middle of the ice. Collapse to the front of their own net and clear rebounds. They really took away the dangerous scoring areas and let the Stars have the puck around the outside and the Stars just couldn’t find a way through. The Mills are a similar team this year and do play a similar style.

Back to Back: This week the STars will play back to back games against the Mills. These two teams meet again on Friday night in Melville. The Millionaires won’t be playing back to back games against the North Stars though as they play tomorrow night in Kindersley.

Tonight’s Roster: The Stars will be without Reed Delainey tonight as he is on a fly down as NCAA Division 1 schools continue to recruit the young Stars forward. Ryne Keller was a little banged up after Friday’s game. With Igor Leonenko and Brock Weston both still out for a few weeks the Stars could be a little short handed tonight. Perhaps we will see an affiliate or two tonight?

1) Skate – Something the North Stars just weren’t doing against Melfort. They were not able to get their feet going and when a team built around speed and skill isn’t skating they aren’t going to be very dangerous. The Millionaires are relatively stingy defensively so far this season and will likely be able to contain the Stars if they aren’t skating.

2) Puck Movement – The Stars create a lot of their speed with their skating ability and by carrying the puck. But they are also more than capable of moving the puck quickly as well. We’ve seen flashes of it lately and I think perhaps tonight we will see the Stars marry that skating speed with puck movement as well.

3) Get Dirty – The Mills are great at protecting the dirty areas especially in front of their own net. So that’s a battle area that could decide the game. The Stars will have to get to those areas and win battles to stay there. They will also need to win pucks in close and find ways to get some tips or rebounds.